Note: Over the past several days, I've been counting down the 13 things I think will influence the 2013 Syracuse football season the most. Click any link below to catch up on the rest of the list in case you missed any.

When Doug Marrone decided to take the head coaching job with the Buffalo Bills, the calls for Scott Shafer to take over as head coach of the Syracuse University football team were loud and clear, and not just because of the timing of Marrone's exit.

The consensus opinion among fans, former and current players, and Syracuse University staff was that Shafer was ready to take over and was the right guy for the job.

"Scott Shafer is an experienced, intelligent, motivating coach who has dedicated his life to coaching and developing college student-athletes," Syracuse athletics director Dr. Daryl Gross said at the time of his hiring. "I can't think of a coach in America who is more deserving of having an opportunity to be a head coach. His commitment to developing the total student-athlete is unmatched."

His passionate opening press conference as head coach was a big hit and terms like "hard-nosed," "storm the damn ACC" and "look the doors behind them" are now commonplace among SU football fans.

Shafer enters his first stint as head coach with two things Doug Marrone didn't have in 2009; a steady ship and universal acceptance.

Marrone had to rebuild Syracuse from the ground up after it was destroyed during the Greg Robinson era at Syracuse (sorry to remind you about that).

While there is work to be done, Shafer has been handed a team that went 8-5 last season and is entering more fertile ground in terms of television dollars and recruiting opportunities in the ACC. A new $17 million practice facility is in the works for his program.

Unlike Shafer, Marrone had to win over Syracuse fans.

While many remembered Marrone as a player at Syracuse, all SU fans had to go on at first was a reputation and a glance at Marrone's resume to see how he would turn around the Orange.

It took awhile for SU fans to get to know what kind of boss Marrone would be for their program.

Syracuse fans know Shafer and seem to buy into what he has said so far about about how he plans to run the Orange.

Now comes the real stuff.

It is obviously too early to tell overall, but there are hints about the way Scott Shafer is going to run things at Syracuse versus the way Doug Marrone did.

Marrone was organized, calculated, and demanding. He had to establish a tone of discipline and structure in taking over for the inept Robinson and a lot of players were excused from the program in the early-going because they couldn't take the new way of thinking.

Shafer's approach as head coach so far has been more warm. He is outgoing. He cracks jokes with the media. His love of football just oozes out of him.

He has come to love the community he is in and even has fun on Twitter once in a while (helped along by his son, Wolfgang, and wife Missy).

"The thing I like about Syracuse, the city is that the people who live here and embrace it are tough people," said Shafer at his introductory press conference. "They are hard nosed people that work their ass off, and they expect a hard nosed football team."

Defensive players on the Orange in particular know how intense Shafer can be and that he demands his defenses get results.

In his first season as defensive coordinator in 2009, the SU defense improved to No. 28 in the nation in third-down defense after finishing No. 117 the season before, No. 27 in first downs allowed (from No. 104), No. 37 in total defense (from No. 114) and No. 6 in sacks (from No. 100).

Syracuse was 6th in the nation last season in total tackles for a loss.

Shafer has brought in a staff of coaches that share his philosophy. Defensive Coordinator Chuck Bullough is one of his best friends. He shared time on prior staffs with several of his assistants, including Bullough, offensive coordinator George McDonald and quarterbacks coach Tim Lester.

While the players at Syracuse are still getting to know that staff that Shafer has entrusted, they all know Shafer well and are comfortable with him. They are thankful he got the opportunity to lead them when Marrone left and are motivated to prove it was the right choice.

The players and fans are united in the thought that Scott Shafer was the right choice to take over Syracuse football.

What they don't know is how successful he will be as head coach at Syracuse.